


happiness is tugging at your heart

by jinxfabray



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Double Penetration, M/M, Rimming, Threesome - M/M/M, i'm gonna go shower with holy water
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-19
Updated: 2014-05-19
Packaged: 2018-01-25 16:40:28
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 13,304
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1655330
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jinxfabray/pseuds/jinxfabray
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>in which louis is a very bitter coach dating his star player liam, and zayn comes along and everything changes.<br/>or, a Bend It Like Beckham AU</p>
            </blockquote>





	happiness is tugging at your heart

**Author's Note:**

> as usual thanks to [sara](http://zilokink.tumblr.com) who came up with half of this and beta'd it for me and discussed this whole idea with me for a whole three months until i managed to sit down and write it
> 
> a couple of important things  
> 1) i have no idea how football works so i made up a lot of stuff  
> 2) i've never had sex with two guys at the same time either so that's made up too and i did my best based on my experience from reading other fics and watching porn but yeah it might be a little rough   
> 3) thank you for reading this i appreciate it a lot

Being on the field on his day off should be more of a burden, but Liam loves try outs. He loves watching all these new kids fiddling about, so nervous to play with them, practicing on the sidelines as they glance at the team with so much hope in their eyes. Plus, there's always someone who's truly amazing, and since the coach can be quite moody, someone needs to pay attention so he doesn't end up closing the doors on the face of someone who could be their next star just because he's having a bad day.

Today in particular, he's really happy to be here because the new kids are going to need a lot of moral support if they're gonna have to face the coach. Louis has been grumpy all morning, blaming it on his leg injury and claiming yesterday's rain made the pain worse even though Liam knows that injury hasn't caused him any trouble in at least a year, but that's just Louis being Louis. And after watching the anxious kids messing around, Liam can only imagine how pissed off he'll be after having to watch them play, since at least half of them are so bad he doesn't even know how they got here. But there's one that he just can't keep his eyes off, a skinny guy who's kept to himself all morning, warming up on his own. The moment Liam saw the way he handled the ball, he knew they needed him. 

The thing is, Liam has known for about a week that this try out is going to be hard for everyone, and it's going to be his own fault, but he just couldn't say no to Harry, could he? It would have made him at least tear up, and Liam has never been good with tears, especially not when they come from Harry's eyes. So when Harry asked about the try outs, Liam had no choice but to help him sign up for them, even if he'd watched Harry play a billion times and he was very much aware of how bad he is at it. If he was asking, maybe it was because he'd suddenly developed a whole new talent for football, and Liam just hadn't noticed. He had been very busy after all, and Harry promised a thousand times that he wouldn't disappoint him, and when had he ever let him down?

So he sits and watches the first couple of boys, none of them nearly good enough, and all of them making some terrible mistake that makes Louis yell at them until they leave with their heads down looking embarrassed, and Liam is starting to panic because he knows there is no way Harry's getting through this. If watching people he's never met before get shot down like this is making his heart ache, he can't even imagine how bad it will be when it's his turn, so he does the worst thing he's ever done in his life, and he walks out of the field the minute he hears Harry's name being called out. He watches Harry skipping happily, and he wants to bury himself somewhere because there is no way this is ending in anything but misery. It takes Louis about fifteen seconds to start yelling, and Liam hasn't even made it to the locker rooms when he hears his uneven steps behind him. He can tell he's more pissed off than usual because he's making a big show of his injury by walking like that, leaning on his left foot as if his right one was completely useless, and he only ever does when he's feeling like setting the world on fire.

"Try outs are over." He announces to the empty locker room, and Liam stares at him, gaping. He can't do that, he can't cancel auditions, he hasn't seen the one yet. 

"Wait, coach, but there's this guy-"

"I just saw one of your guys, Payne, do you really expect me to see another one?" Louis cuts him off abruptly, glaring at him so intensely Liam thinks he might catch on fire just from the look he's giving him. 

"I swear it's nothing like Harry. I only signed Harry up because he's my friend but this guy's really good, I saw him training this morning and you have to give him a shot." He talks as quickly as he can because he knows Louis is one step away from yelling at him again, so he has to get it all out right now. He steps up as close as he can, taking advantage of the current solitude they're in. "Please, Lou. I promise, he's really good. We could use someone like him."

Louis doesn't say anything for a moment, giving him a considering look as if he's trying to figure out his true intentions. As if he didn't know by now that Liam never hides his true intentions.

"How do I know you're not just saying that because he's pretty?"

Liam raises an eyebrow, and dares to hint at a smile, properly grinning when he sees Louis smirking back at him.

"I would never willingly bring a pretty boy anywhere near you, what if you liked him better than me?"

Without even bothering to check if they're still alone or not, Louis leans in and kisses him, all of his grumpy mood forgotten already. Sometimes Liam finds it hard to believe that he can actually do that, get Louis out of his shell, turn his bad days into slightly better ones. He doesn't know why it works like that, but he's very glad it does.

"Fine. Bring that boy of yours in, and I hope for your sake that he is fucking disgusting to look at."

 

The boy isn't only very much the opposite of disgusting, but he's also comforting Harry when Liam goes find him, and that- that just does something to Liam's stomach. It stirs something up inside him, gets butterflies fluttering about, he's not entirely sure of what it is, but there is just something that gets activated at the sight of this complete stranger who just missed his shot at getting into a proper team because of Harry ignoring that completely just because Harry's pouting and looks like he's about to cry so hard the whole stadium will be flooded. He stops dead on his tracks, trying to eavesdrop before they notice his presence.

"Listen, it's not that bad. You're not so bad, that guy's just a jerk, but I'm sure any other coach who didn't have a rotten heart would be glad to have you."

"Really?" Harry's entire face lights up at this, and Liam has to bite his lip to keep himself from laughing at the guy's expression. He can tell he's having a very hard time lying, but Harry just looks so hopeful that he's not gonna be able to tell him how much he sucks either.

"Maybe with a little training you can get better and try out again? I can help, I was planning on practicing for next time too anyway."

"Actually," Liam cuts in because he just can't watch from afar anymore, "try outs aren't over just yet, so, uh, coach is kinda waiting for you."

The way his face lights up has Liam suddenly needing to sit down urgently.

"See, I told you Liam would make it happen for you!" He is so busy staring at the guy's smile he doesn't notice Harry's approaching him until he's jumped on him and clinging to his neck. "Liam, this is Zayn, and he's very excited to try out. And he can actually play, unlike me."

Liam shakes Zayn's hand as he tries to stay balanced with Harry weighing him down, laughing softly at him.

"You weren't so bad, but Zayn here may have a point. You could use a little training, and if you two don't mind, I- I could help out." It's a terrible idea and he shouldn't have said anything at all. Even if Harry's clapping excitedly, and Zayn seems to be actually interested in it for some reason, this is a very bad plan. He's not sure why, but it just feels all wrong, and Liam wishes he had kept quiet and just let them do their own thing.

"That would be great, yeah. We'll talk more after the try out, yeah?" Zayn nods, and it's too late. He watches him going back into the field, and Harry finally lets go of his neck, grinning so widely Liam fears his face might be hurting.

"This is going to be incredibly amazing." Harry states, dreamily staring at the door Zayn just walked through, and Liam can't bring himself to do more than sigh in response.

 

Things progress as predictably as ever. Zayn makes it into the team, and Louis is furious at how good he is so he keeps shouting slurs at him, getting even angrier when all Zayn does is nod and keep on playing. 

Liam and Zayn start helping Harry train, but they spend most of their time playing with each other while Harry sits on the sidelines and cheers on them. It's fun, and it's easy, and Zayn finds himself wishing they could do it all the time. He can't help himself, Liam is so incredibly nice, and funny, and gorgeous. And on the first warm afternoon that announces spring is finally remembering it was supposed to wake up and start happening weeks ago, Zayn realizes he also wishes they could do a lot of other things besides playing football. Indoor things. Without Harry. And possibly with no clothes on too.

He's late for their usual training session, so he's nearly running towards the tiny park around the corner of Harry's house when he spots them and has to stop and catch his breath because he knew all along Liam was a well built guy but that's just ridiculous. He gets that it's hot out, but Liam pulling his t-shirt over his head like that is going to melt the glatiars or something equally unhelpful, he's sure of it. 

"Hey, you made it, sleepyhead!" Harry greets him throwing his arms up in the air as usual, and Zayn is startled out of his abs- induced daze. Right. Football.

"Yeah, sorry, I still can't get used to the whole getting up before eleven am thing." He says, looking straight into Harry's eyes so he doesn't feel tempted to jump Liam, since he gathers it's not exactly the right time for it.

"That's okay, we learned a new thing without you though. Here, let me show you." Harry runs to get the football, and Zayn finally dares glance back at Liam, who's smiling at him, still shirtless. Bastard.

"We were starting to wonder if you'd ditched us, now that you're a star football player and everything."

"I haven't even played a proper game yet." Zayn groans. This has been going on since Louis hissed a "good game" at him during their last practice, because that's apparently a thing that never happens, and every single player on the team plus Harry has been using this against him ever since. Zayn can't understand how Louis is still the team's idol when he's rude to them all constantly, and he definitely doesn't get how Liam can look at him with that much adoration.

"Hey, you two. I can't play football on my own." Harry whines, and Liam pats Zayn's shoulder, softly pushing him towards the ball.

"Go, mate, I need to make a call." He says before taking a couple steps back and taking his phone out, and Zayn starts walking with his eyes glued to his back, so focused on it that he nearly walks into Harry.

"Hey." He turns to find Harry frowning at him, and that's a first. He's seen Harry cry, but he's never seen Harry look serious like this. "You do know Liam's got a boyfriend, right"

Oh. "I did not know that." 

"That's odd. I figured everyone in the team knew, since he's your coach and everything. Kinda hard to miss the heart eyes."

No one's ever thrown a bucket of cold water at Zayn in his life, but he's still certain this is exactly what that must feel like. He forgets how to move for a moment, because he couldn't in a million years have seen that coming. Louis, the most insufferable prick he's ever met, is dating Liam. Sweet, wonderful Liam who has Toy Story socks and the brightest smile he's ever seen. It makes absolutely no sense, and at the same time, it explains a lot. However it was that they started dating, the fact that they are now sheds a whole new light on why Liam's so forgiving and those looks he gives him- oh god. He's stupidly in love with that jerk, isn't he? And now Zayn's gone and developed a crush on someone who's clearly very much in love, because he has to love Louis with all his heart to excuse the bullshit he pulls on him. 

"You okay?" There's a hand on his shoulder, and Zayn has no clue when Liam got there but he's staring at him with a worried frown on his face, and it makes everything worse because he's just so pretty, and he cares so much, and Zayn needs to take a thousand steps away from him before this turns into something that will end up hurting someone. Him, most likely. Or even worse, Liam. He's not going to risk that. He's putting a stop to this. And he should probably put a stop to Harry's training too, since it's clearly not going anywhere. Harry looks like he's putting a lot of attention into everything they say, but his legs are too long and he has no control over them, and most of the time he just suffers through the whole thing.

"Hey, can I ask you something?" Both Liam and Harry turn to look at him, a little surprised at how bluntly he cut through Liam's explanation.

"Yeah, sure."

"Why do you wanna learn how to play?" It's an innocent question, really, and he's just asking because he wants to understand what weird mechanism in Harry's brain convinced him that this was a thing that he just had to do, no matter how bad he was at it, but the response he gets is very far from what he expected.

"I need to seduce someone." Harry answers very seriously, and Liam bursts into laughter.

"Oh, mate, have we been doing all of this for Niall? Really?"

Zayn is profoundly confused, and Harry's blushing furiously, but he's still got a determined look in his face.

"Niall's a fan of the team." Liam starts explaining, seeing Harry's too offended to say anything. "He has been for quite some time, and he comes to all our games, and when I started playing in the team, Harry started coming to the games too, and he fell deeply in love, but he didn't want to tell him he was friends with me so he'd be sure Niall would-"

"I want him to love me for me and not because I'm friends with his idols, it's not that ridiculous." Harry huffs, crossing his arms over his chest. "But I only ever see him at the games, and I can't talk to him about anything but football there, and I know nothing about football, so this was the obvious choice."

Now it's Zayn's turn to laugh, because of course Harry would think that if he couldn't seduce Niall by talking to him about the team, he should join the team. It makes absolute sense in his head probably, and Zayn has never been this fond of anyone. 

"Listen, how about instead of putting yourself through all this pain, we teach stuff you can say during a game that will make Niall think you have an idea of what's happening, and then once he's paying attention to you you can ask him out and talk to him about something else."

Harry's eyes light up, and he instantly forgets all about how offended he was at them for laughing.

"You'd do that?"

"Definitely. Look, we'll show you some of our plays, and then at the game you'll recognize them and know what to shout and everything. It'll be easier."

Liam is giving him such a warm smile, and there's just so much in his eyes that Zayn can't quite decypher, that he decides he'll teach everything he can to Harry right now, and he'll stop talking to Liam forever. He has to. He has to do it now, because his heart is beating too fast and if he falls for Liam, then there will be no going back.

 

So he stops talking to him. It's hard to avoid someone who's on the same team as him, Zayn learns that rather quickly, but he does his best. He ignores him when he calls after him at the end of practice, and he barely looks at him when they're playing. It makes Liam look really sad, and for reasons he wishes he wasn't so highly aware of, it also makes Louis be even more of a dick to him. Or at least he figures that's what's turned him into such a monster lately, all bitter and grumpy, constantly getting fed up with everyone in the team and walking off the field mid-practice. Zayn has had enough of him as well, and he can't keep up his compliant attitude anymore, so he starts fighting back. It turns into a perpetual fight, with both of them either yelling at each other or mumbling insults as they walk past each other. It's childish and it does nothing but make things more tense for the team, but he just can't help himself, not when Louis has that special ability to make him feel like setting everything on fire, starting with him.

With a coach that has clearly given up on them and won't even bother with telling them what to do, and two players spending half their time staring longingly at each other, the first game of the season is looking like a lost battle. And it is.

They don't suck, but they're not good enough to win, even if the other team is kinda terrible. They're disconnected, and it's just very hard to coordinate with the rest of the team without a coach. Louis is there, obviously, but he groans at them and sighs, and is just useless basically. By half time, they're losing already, and Zayn wants to sit down in the lockers room and stay there forever. Louis walks straight past them and into his office, and Liam follows him, but no one acknolewdges them. There's no point to anything. A part of Zayn wants to stay there and wait for Liam to come out, apologize, try to make things better. The bigger part of him pushes him back outside for a smoke, which he really shouldn't do, but by now there is no one left who gives a fuck about anything, not when they're losing so tragically. He steps up to the crowd, easily spotting Harry sitting there, next to Niall.

"Glad to see you haven't left yet." He says, and has to bite his lip to stop himself from laughing at the starstruck look on Niall's face. 

"I promised Liam I'd stay until the end." Harry shrugs his shoulders nonchalantly and there is no way anyone will ever mistake him for a fan of the team, not when he's being so bright and chirpy in the middle of a very depressed crowd. "Oh, by the way, this is Niall. Niall, this is Zayn."

Zayn waves at him, and Niall looks like's about to pass out, but he manages to catch his breath and wave back.

"Hey mate. Hasn't been a great game, has it?"

"Well, maybe if we keep on playing like that someone will realize we need a better coach." Zayn hisses, doing his best to keep his eyes away from the closed door behind which Liam and Louis are evidently fighting, if the tone of their angry whispering is anything to go by.

"We've got a great coach." Niall raises his eyebrows at him, and he sounds so honest in his use of that plural, as if he's actually a part of the team, that Zayn feels for the first time what it's truly like to be part of a team that has real fans. Fans who will fight anyone to defend their team, and its shitty coach. "I honestly don't know what's gotten into him lately, but the only reason we've been the best team around is because of Louis. It used to be because he was an amazing player, and after the injury he still kept doing an amazing job. I think- I think he believed he'd be better by now, and I don't think he is. It can't be easy, you know, having to give up on everything when he was so close to it all."

It makes sense, and Zayn realizes he hasn't ever spared a thought to Louis. He's been so caught up in Liam, that he's barely looked twice at him. He's so young, and so angry at the world, and he gets it a little now. He can't imagine watching all of his dreams vanish in such a sudden, stupid way. Being the best, only to have it all taken away from him in the blink of an eye, being forced to watch other people come and take everything that was supposed to be his. And maybe he doesn't hate Zayn for making Liam sad, maybe he hates Zayn for thinking of taking Liam from him, when he's already trying to take the position as the club's best player in history, and there's nothing he can do to stop it from happening.  
He can't change the things he's done, and he can't really help Louis, but he can try and make at least one thing better for him. Mostly because he thinks if he can make Louis a little happier, he might be a little better to Liam, and that's what it's all about, isn't it? 

When he sees the players starting to come out of the lockers room, and the referee walking to the field again, he knows what he has to do. He makes a beeline for Liam, who's frowning at the floor, and puts a hand on his shoulders.

"Listen-"

Before he can say anything, Liam interrupts him.

"I don't know what I've done to you, but we need to get over it and start playing like a proper team."

"Yeah." Zayn nods, and the rest of the team is staring at them too intensely, so he looks around and takes a deep breath. "Let's turn this around, yeah?"

 

They win. No one understands how, but the second half of the game is like watching ballet. They play gracefully, moving as one, getting each and every single play Louis' ever tried to teach them right, and scoring more than they could have ever expected. And then the game's over, and they've won, and the crowd's going insane, but Liam's still looking gloomy, and Zayn wishes he could do something but he knows better.

The locker room is very festive, but Liam barely spends a second there before he's walking out, and Louis stays behind, congratulating the players but still looking like he wants to strangle them all. It makes the decision of taking the party elsewhere pretty quick, but Zayn stays behind. He can't go and pretend to be all cheerful when he can still remember so vividly the hurt in Liam's voice when he last spoke to him. So he stays, waits for them all to leave, tells them he'll join them later, and sits in a corner until it's empty and he feels it's safe to go shower.

Except it's not empty. He's marching to the showers, a towel thrown over his shoulder, when Louis walks out of his office and they both stop and stare at each other. He's pissed off, and he looks like he's had one too many drinks, but Zayn can't bring himself to move or speak. He just stands there, until Louis starts walking up to him.

"Malik." He spits out his name so harshly that if Zayn had any doubts about how Louis felt about him, they're very much cleared up. He doesn't stop walking until he's so close he can feel his breath on his skin, and that's- that's not what he expected. Louis is seething, his eyes are nearly shooting flames at him, and Zayn should be scared. Worried. Concerned. Definitely not turned on.

"You think you're so cool, don't you, saving the day and everything? We could have won without you. We've been champions a dozen times without you." Louis plants his index finger on his chest, pushing him softly. "We were fine without you."

"Coach, I- " Zayn doesn't know what to say, especially when his body is reacting in all the wrong ways to this. The thing is, Louis' hot. That's just a fact, not something he's ever thought of, but now that he's faced with it, he can definitely acknolewdge it. They've been at each other's throats for so long, there's been so much tension between them, that Zayn can't help but wonder if maybe there was more to it. Maybe he's not insane, he's just a really fucked up person who is attracted not to one, but to two people in a relationship. He wishes he could kick himself, but it's a little hard to achieve, especially with Louis still moving, forcing him to walk backwards until his back hits the wall. "I think you might be a little drunk."

"I fucking wish I was drunk." Louis looks up at him and for a moment Zayn thinks he's not the only one feeling wild about this. He could swear he sees lust instead of fury for a moment, but maybe that's just selfish, wishful thinking. "Fucking wish I could blame it on being drunk."

Zayn licks his lips, a nervous habit kicking in, and watches Louis stare at his tongue, the rest of the world falling silent for a moment. And then, it happens. 

Louis' mouth is crushing against his before he has time to think anymore, but he reacts immediately, kisses him back roughly, his tongue chasing into his mouth as he puts a hand on his neck and pulls him closer. Louis pulls at his shirt, tossing it over his head and shoving him back against the wall so harshly Zayn whimpers, but Louis' lips are back on his and he swallows down his complaints. Zayn fists his t-shirt, wanting to get it off but unable to stop kissing him, and so he tries to do it without pulling apart, until Louis bites his lower lip and pulls away to take it off properly.

They don't say a word. Zayn fears if he speaks he'll break the spell, and they'll wake up and realize what's happening, and it will have to stop. And he doesn't want it to stop. Louis pulls his trackies down his legs, and no, he definitely doesn't want this to stop, so he turns off his brain and ignores everything but the feel of his fingers wrapped around his cock, and his lips glued to his neck.

He's going to leave marks all over him, but he just can't bring himself to care. No one will know, no one will ever even come close to figuring out who gave him those lovebites. The adrenaline has him buzzing, and he can barely register the pain no matter how hard Louis bites his neck, his collarbone, his chest. He just digs his nails further into his skin, and breathes deeply, Louis' hand pumping him lazily, but it's not enough. He moves his hand lower, grabs his ass and pulls him closer until he can feel the line of his dick against his leg, and Louis looks at him for what feels like the first time since their lips collided. His eyes are dark, pupils blown wide, and he looks nearly menacing like this, like he might chew him up and spit him out and well, right now, Zayn would let him. 

Instead, he lets him flip him over, this time a little less harshly and Zayn is thankful because as caught up in the moment as he is, he figures he would have definitely felt it if he broke his nose. Louis plants kisses all over his back as he goes down, and for an instant Zayn isn't quite sure of what he's planning, but then he's dropping to his knees and- oh. His tongue circles his rim, and he scratches the wall, wishing there was something he could be firmly holding onto because Louis dips his tongue inside him and he feels he might crumble any second now. It doesn't last long, and Louis soon replaces his tongue with a finger, but he knows exactly what he's doing because he's got Zayn relaxed and needy fucking into him with his tongue like that, so he barely has to stretch him out before he's fucking back on his finger, wanting more. Louis' still wearing his pants, and with two fingers scissoring inside him, he presses his hard cock against Zayn's ass, and kisses his neck softly.

"Is this okay?" He whispers, and Zayn wants to say no, it's all wrong, they'll regret it, but instead he nods vehemently. He twists his head a little to get a glimpse of Louis getting a condom out of his wallet and ripping it open with his teeth, and there's no going back. He doesn't want to go back. He can feel Louis' eyes carefully trained on his, waiting for him to repent, hoping he'll stop him, but he doesn't, and he lines up with his entrance, still watching him, until Zayn turns to face the wall, and Louis fucks into him. He does so relentlessly, starting out gently but forgetting all about it after the first two seconds and clutching onto Zayn's arms as he pounds into him over and over. His chest is nearly glued to Zayn's back, and he wraps an arm around his waist so he can get his hand back on his cock, wanking him off at the same pace he's fucking him into the wall, and it feels so savage for some reason, like they're acting completely out of instinct, ignoring all reasonable thought. They come within seconds of each other, and for a moment they just stand there, Zayn's chest pressed against the wall, regret starting to grow on his chest just as his orgasm starts to fade. 

Louis pulls out, gets his clothes on and walks out, without looking back.

 

Zayn wakes up the next morning feeling sore, confused, and full of hate for himself, but of not enough regret. There's a text from Liam in his phone that he can't bring himself to open, not until he's had his coffee and showered, scrubbing himself until his skin went red, hoping that might make it all go away. He feels dirty, but no amount of hot water will help with that. After putting on clothes, he sits on his bed and finally clicks on the message.

They broke up. It's not much of a shock, not after yesterday, but still Zayn is a little surprised because maybe a part of him thought Louis would just pretend it hadn't happened and they'd carry on like that. Obviously he hasn't told Liam what happened, or he wouldn't be texting him so casually, and Zayn doesn't know what to make of that. Or what to do about it, or what to reply. He's gotten himself into a very messed up situation and he's going to deal with it exactly like he deals with everything else in his life. He'll ignore it and go for a run.  
He leaves his phone at home, so that he doesn't have to feel the weight of it in his pockets. He's got enough with the weight of everything else on his shoulders. Running is easy, and he can put all of his efforts into it, his mind going as blank as it can be. No Liam. No Louis.

Okay, maybe a little Louis, considering on his fourth lap he spots him crossing the street. He stretches out and Zayn has to slow down so he doesn't run into him, until he starts running too and he can pick up his pace. He tries to stay in tune though, not exactly looking forward to catching up and having him see him, and at first it's a little hard because he goes slow, and Zayn figures it's the injury. 

But then, he starts running. Properly running. And if Zayn wasn't so sure he hasn't seen him, he'd think he's challenging him to get on his level, because he's fast, faster than Zayn could have ever imagined. Faster than he remembers from watching old games. Definitely too fast to have an injured knee still in recovery.

They keep on like that for a while, until Zayn is out of breath and has to stop. He sits down on a bench, feeling slightly dizzy because he may have just pushed himself a little over his limit but it was very hard to accept that he'd just have to give up before Louis did. So he sits and breathes deeply and he's just getting back on his feet when Louis stops dead on his tracks in front of him.

"Hey."

Zayn expected this to be awkward, but instead, it's not. Louis looks at him without saying anything, but he doesn't have to. He knows, he gets it. And for a really long time they just stand there, in silence, until Zayn breaks it.

"You run really fast for someone with a leg injury as bad as it's supposed to be."

"You won't tell anyone, will you?" Louis sits on the bench, and Zayn drops himself back on it as well, shaking his head.

"I won't if you don't want me to, but I don't get it. Why aren't you playing if you can run like that without the pain killing you?"

"It's not that easy." He sighs and looks away, uncapping the water bottle he's holding and taking a sip, mostly to fill the silence while he figures out how to explain it. "I can run. I could probably play, if I wanted to. But I can't get back on a field. I just can't, it's been too long. I spent months thinking I'd never get my legs back, and it took a lot of treatments and medicines and surgeries to get them back to this and now- now I just can't risk it. I can't get back on a field knowing someone might hit me a little too hard and I'll have to watch it all fall apart again. I can't do that."

It makes sense, in a way, but Zayn refuses to accept it. He knows Louis better than that, he knows he's not a coward. He knows he should be fighting back instead of letting life pass him by. But he also knows he can't just come out and say all those things to him or he'll shut down again and leave him out. He wants to show him living like this, he might as well be in a wheelchair, he wants to make him see, because though he never would admit it, Zayn tried out for that specific team because of him. Because he learned to love football watching Louis on his TV, and he's not going to let him give up on himself like this. 

"You wanna go back to mine?"

The question drops from his lips without asking for his permission, or at least it feels like it. He's been staring at Louis for too long, and there's too many mixed feelings that he doesn't wanna face boiling up inside him, so his brain picked the easiest one, the one that stood out the most right then and there, and pushed it out of his mouth. For a second, he wonders if Louis will kick him off the team or just slap him.

Instead he shrugs his shoulders, and says "Okay".

 

Things change quickly and all of a sudden, and then settle down just as fast, creating a whole new world from one day to the other. After the break up, it's as if a light's gone out inside Liam, and he's a shadow of himself. With him being quiet and reserved, the lockers room fall silent more often than not, and there is a general sadness in the air that keeps getting into everything. It only gets worse when Louis' around, Louis who's gone from shouting at everyone to never raising his voice because he can tell Liam flinches every time he hears him, who's suddenly extra focused in his work, as if getting the team back on track might redeem him in Liam's eyes. 

And then there's Zayn, who keeps on getting better on the field, keeps on fucking Louis when no one can see, and keeps on staring at Liam longingly. It's absurd, and he wants to punch himself for being such an idiot over this, because he's done enough damage, he's hurt enough people, but he just can't seem to stay away from Liam. It's not like he needs him, Liam's got friends who are way better at getting him through this than he could ever be, but he wants to be there for him so badly. And the worst part is, Liam looks like he wants him to be there too. He hasn't contacted him again since that text that never got a reply, but sometimes Zayn catches him staring back, and it's all terribly confusing.

He likes being with Louis. It's always rough, always exciting, and the more they do it, the easier it gets. They actually talk now, not only during sex, but actually have proper conversations. Or something similar to it. He wouldn't call them conversations, not when they end up in fights most of the times, yelling matches that seem to go on forever until Louis shoves him against the nearest wall and kisses him. They fight over everything, all the time, and yet it doesn't feel so bad. It feels like it's getting them somewhere, they push each other so much and in the worst of ways, and it's made them move forward. His constant nagging eventually gets Louis to agree to start at least playing with him, and it's probably the most fucked up kind of relationship Zayn's ever been in, but he still likes most of it. 

He doesn't like the pain in his heart when he sees Liam laughing with other people.

He definitely hates the look in Louis' face when he hears Liam's voice.

It doesn't make sense, that they can both want each other so badly and still be pining after Liam, and yet none of those feelings seem to go away.

 

It's a Sunday afternoon, and he's just about to head out for a run when his phone starts ringing. He doesn't recognize the number, but the voice on the other side is fairly easy to recognize, especially when it's yelling at him like that. With everything that's been going on, Zayn had forgotten about Harry completely, which only confirms his suspicions that he is in fact the shittiest human being on Earth. It's only because he feels so terribly about it that he agrees to meet up with him at the park, like they used to, because the thing is, he knows Liam's going to be there. Harry doesn't say so, only mentions Niall, who's apparently attached to his hip now, but he just knows Liam will be there because he's Harry's best friend and he's sad so he's sure Harry hasn't let him out of his sight for a second.

Not in a million years could Zayn have prepared himself for what it feels like to be back in that park, sitting next to Liam watching Niall and Harry being stupidly dumb over each other. It's like all those butterflies he'd thought were dead and gone are suddenly waking up inside him again, and as much as he tries to put distance between them, it's impossible to do so when Liam's trying so hard to reach out to him. So he lets Liam reach out, he lets Liam in again, and it feels like something inside him is clicking, pieces of a puzzle are falling together and he feels just so much more whole all of a sudden that he can't stop smiling at him and giggling at Harry's lame jokes and just being generally happy in a way he hadn't been lately.

Everything about that whole afternoon feels like something out of a fairy tale, and it's just so completely out of context in Zayn's life that he finds it very easy to forget this is real life as well. That everything he does here will have consequences when he wakes up tomorrow. It's hard to think of it like that, when he feels like he's living in some alternative universe where there's ice cream trucks and giggly Liams. 

The ice cream truck is very much real, and it stops by just as the sun's starting to set. Harry pouts about it until Niall stands up and grabs his hand so they can run and try and catch it before it leaves, leaving Zayn and Liam together. Zayn feels like he should say something, apologize, but he doesn't know where to start. He looks at Liam, who's smiling so candidly at him, as if nothing had ever happened, and he just knows he has to at least try to make things right.

"Listen, Liam... I'm sorry I've been such an asshole."

Liam's face falls a little, but he immediately smiles again, just not as bright anymore.

"It's okay, I figured maybe you needed to breathe a little. I can be overwhelming sometimes, I guess."

It makes Zayn's heart sink to the floor, the way he says that, because Liam is so incredibly clueless about how he makes people feel. He doesn't know how wonderful it is to feel close to someone as kind hearted as he is, how much easier life looks when you can count on someone so incredibly reliable. And it's not just that he's too modest to think so highly of himself, it's that recently, everyone in his life has been acting as if he was the exact opposite, and it's all Zayn's fault. Louis left him without an explanation, Zayn cut him out of his life without looking back, and it's now so obvious how that has affected him in a much worse way than any of them expected. They haven't ever talked about it, but Zayn knows Louis well enough to know they're the same when it comes to Liam. They both feel like such fuck ups, so unworthy of him, that neither would have ever thought themselves capable of hurting him. But if they need Liam to make them feel like they can be loved, Liam might need them just as much. Zayn doesn't know why, or for what, but the way Liam's looking at him tells him they're not the only ones having a tough time dealing with all of this.

"You're not overwhelming, Liam. That's not what it was about, it wasn't about you at all, it was me. I've been going through stuff, and I just tend to pull away from everyone and- I swear it has nothing to do with you." Zayn stares at him very intently, hoping he can communicate at least with his eyes exactly how much he wants to be around Liam all the time. "I really like you, Liam, I promise."

In retrospective, he sees how staring at Liam's mouth while telling him how much he liked him might have come off wrong (or right, actually, but he didn't mean to be so honest, really). It's just hard to look away from his lips when they're always so soft and inviting, and before he knows it, they're firmly planted on his, and this should not be happening. He pulls away as if he'd been struck by lighting, and jumps to his feet.

"I'm sorry, Zayn, I-" Liam starts to say, but Zayn can't do this. He can't do any of this anymore, he can't be here feeling butterflies in his stomach over a cute boy who wants to kiss him, while he can feel his phone vibrating with a text from another boy who wants to invite him over and would probably slap him if he knew he's been kissing the boy he's been dreaming of kissing as well. He just can't, it's too complicated, and he needs to go live in the desert for a couple of years until he can figure out what it is that he wants to do with his life. Until then, he needs a break from everyone. 

By the time Niall and Harry get back, Niall's eaten both of their ice creams, Zayn's gone, and Liam's picking his things up with a very sad look on his face. Niall stands back while Harry hugs him and Liam ends up leaving as well, so that's it's just the two of them, and Niall has absolutely no idea of what's going on but he's pretty sure he wants to punch at least one person because Harry looks terribly disappointed in life, and that's not supposed to happen.

"Did Liam and Zayn fight?" He asks as he sits on the grass with his legs crossed, patting on the spot next to him for Harry to join him.

"No, they kissed." Harry says with a frown as he drops his head on his lap, and Niall automatically threads his fingers through his curls. He doesn't understand how that can be a bad thing, but Harry looks filled with consternation so he figures it must be.

"Doesn't Liam like Zayn?"

"Yes", Harry whines, closing his eyes and leaning into his hand as he pets his hair. "This is such a mess, Niall, I don't know how we'll fix it."

Niall scrunches up his eyebrows because well, he didn't know he was supposed to collaborate in fixing it, but if he's gonna have to do that then he'll just have to try and understand it.

"Okay, wait, let me get this straight. Liam likes Zayn, Zayn doesn't like Liam, so when he kissed him, Zayn got upset and left?"

"No. Zayn likes Liam too, and they are so good together, haven't you seen them? They make each other laugh a lot, and they just click. But I think Zayn's with Louis now."

"So we need to break them up."

"No, we can't do that, Zayn and Louis are great together. You've seen how better the team's getting, and it's all because of that, I can tell. But Louis loves Liam, he's not over him, and he's just so sad about it that the team can't be at its best with him always so gloomy."

"So do we need to get Liam and Louis back together then?"

"Liam and Louis were amazing together, they balanced each other out a lot, but- but I think Louis needs someone to love him as tenderly and fully as Liam, but also someone who can be a little mean to him and push him out of his comfort zone, like Zayn. And Zayn needs someone he can just lean into and be wrapped up by, like Liam, but also someone who will keep up with him on the wilder, scarier things, like Louis. And Liam just needs to be loved and he needs someone who can make him feel he's necessary, like Zayn does, but he also needs someone who can look after him and keep him on his toes like Louis. So basically they should all just be together and love each other and it would be so much easier."

There's a long pause, and then Niall wolf whistles.

"You should be on TV. Get a show and have people come tell you about their lives and fix them up for them, you're very good at that."

Harry blushes so hard he feels his entire face is burning up, and he can't help but put a hand on Niall's neck and get him closer so he can kiss him.

"I'm just very observant."

"No, that's just magic, you should do that for a living."

"I know as much about people as I do about football" Harry states proudly, and Niall bursts into laughter. "What, I know about football. You heard me being all smart about it during that match."

Niall smiles fondly at him, rubbing his head. "Babe, you were shouting encouragingly during the first half of the match at all the worst plays. You're lucky you're cute or someone might have strangled you, it looked like you were cheering for the other team from the wrong side of the stadium."

"Why didn't you tell me?" Harry lifts his head and sits up, completely horrified at this brand new information. "And why did you agree to go out with me if you weren't impressed by my knowledge of the game?"

"I agreed to go out with you because you're gorgeous and I'd been hoping you'd ask me for months, you idiot." Niall laughs, resting his forehead on his. "And I honestly couldn't have cared less about what you knew of football when you had a smile like that. I'm flattered you tried, though."

Harry smiles widely and kisses him, cupping his cheek with his hand. "We still have to help those poor kids figure their love life out, you know. Not everyone has it as easy as we do."

"I know, I know. For the sake of my team, mostly." Niall nods, and Harry rolls his eyes at him as he drops his head back on his lap, a serious expression back on his face as his brain starts to try and work out how to solve this riddle. Maybe he'll talk to one of them. Maybe Zayn, he'll listen. It's the other two he's not quite sure how to convince.

 

It's a series of unfortunate events from then on, starting with a big dinner thrown by the club's owners to celebrate the beginning of the season that only half the team attends since they have a match the next morning in Sheffield, and they're gonna have to be up very early to get there on time. It's probably the only lucky thing about it that the other half decides to skip on it, because something goes horribly wrong and the next morning, when Louis is starting to get anxious about having only ten people on the bus, the club owner himself has to be the one to deliver the bad news since everyone else is too terrified of what Louis might do when he hears his team has food poisoning and is in no conditions of travelling, at least not for another couple hours.

The ride there is uncomfortably quiet, with Louis and Zayn tucked in the back of the bus as Louis takes the deepest breaths he can so he doesn't go insane and starts murdering people or something like it. Liam stays as far away from them as he can, his headphones on the whole time so he doesn't have to hear Louis' mumbling and feel tempted to come over and try to help. He's figured out there's something going on between the two of them and it's okay, really. He gets it. It makes sense, even, for them to be with each other instead of him, so he's not going to bother them anymore. 

Zayn wishes he would, though, that he would come and help because he has no idea what to do with Louis when he gets like this. He's incredibly nervous and Zayn has never seen him this freaked out, and sure, he can put his arm around him and try to whisper sweet nothings, but it's not really his thing. It's definitely not their thing. Liam would be so much better at this, and Zayn feels useless and inadequate.

It's almost time for the match to start, and there's no news from the rest of the team. They can't play with ten players, but it's all they have, and the lockers room are quieter than they've ever been because they're gonna have to forfeit and it's going to be the most ridiculous loss ever, but there's nothing they can do. Liam's phone rings and he goes outside to pick up, coming back in with Harry and Niall. They don't usually let visitors inside, but it's not as if they're gonna play anyway, is it?

Louis is sitting with his head between his hands, and Niall takes one look around and frowns because there is such an easy fix to this situation that he can't believe they haven't thought of it yet.

"Can't Louis play?"

Zayn and Liam both look up, because the truth is, they've both been thinking about it. He could play. He knows the team better than anyone, and he's more than ready to play, except- well, except in his own mind. But his body is ready, and if he wanted to, he could play and they would win.

"I can't play. Who would sit on the coach's chair if I'm on the field?" Louis snaps at him, but it's a lot less weak than they expected it to be, and it makes Zayn and Liam look at each other with a glint of hope in their eyes. This might not be a lost cause after all.

"We could find someone else, it doesn't matter, it's just for one game. No one will mind, and we could play." Liam starts saying, and it's out of instinct that he walks up to Louis, out of habit that he kneels down in front of him, and Zayn should be bothered by how close they are to each other, how soft Louis' expression goes when Liam puts his hands on his knees, but instead he feels warm inside. "We'll get Niall to sit on the chair, he knows all our plays. And you could get back on the field, and instead of losing a match without even playing, we'd win one and show everyone you're ready to get back out there."

"But I'm not ready" Louis says softly, in a low voice that's only meant for Liam to listen. It's intimate and as if nothing's ever happened between them at all, as if they're falling back into their old little world where no one else is allowed in, and it's okay. It's how it's supposed to be.

"Yeah, you are. You've been ready for weeks now, Zayn made you ready." Liam whispers back and both Louis and Zayn startle at this, but Liam doesn't seem to notice, he keeps talking, his forehead resting on Louis and his eyes on the floor. "You needed that, I didn't see it, but you needed someone to push you a little more, and he did, and now you can do this. I know you can. You always could, but now I think you really want to do it, too."

Louis looks back at him for a moment, and in the midst of how confusing everything has been, one thing stands clear and above all else. He loves Liam. He thinks he may love Zayn too, but he'll deal with that later. Right now, his heart is bursting with how much he feels for this wonderful boy that's stood by his side when no one else would, that's helped him through his darkest days without ever asking for anything in return. He loves Liam with the intensity of a thousand burning suns, and even if he wasn't ready, he'd go out on the field right now just because he's asking him too. He doesn't know how to say all those things, he wants him to know, but he can't just say that, not here, not with ten other people staring at them, so he does something else instead.

He kisses him.

 

They win the match, and it feels like one of those games that people will continue to talk about for years to come. For a team playing with a new member, they find their own rythm instantly, adapting to having Louis leading them from the inside instead of the outside easily, because he's just that easy to follow, and everything works smoothly, like clockwork. The other team doesn't stand a chance against them, not with how coordinated they are, how in sync with each other.

For the first time in months, the locker room is bursting with energy, and everyone's jumping around and chanting because they didn't just win a game -they won Louis back. He's back in the team, after that incredible performance, he's definitely going to stay on the field, right where he belongs, and they're going to win everything from now on. It's what everyone's thinking even if no one's saying it, just like they've spent all this time missing Louis but no one wouldn't dare say it. 

Liam stands in the middle of the celebration, caught up in the thrill of it all, until they start heading off, making plans for all the parties they're gonna crash to celebrate. He needs to see Louis, talk to him, figure things out. But as the crowd grows thinner, he spots him grinning into Zayn's neck and they're both laughing and they're just so happy, that he can't bring himself to interfere. It's fine, he thought things would be different, but they're clearly not. They don't need him, and he was a fool for thinking they did.

He's just walking out, when he hears Louis' voice calling out his name and he stops, turning slowly towards them. He doesn't want to do this, he doesn't want to hear what he knows Louis will say. It's such a happy moment that he really doesn't want it to get spoiled by their little soap opera drama.

"Liam, wait." Louis stands between him and Zayn, looking a little breathless, sweaty, with his hair matted to his forehead, and he's so goddamn pretty that Liam really wants to walk away and never look back. "Wait. We need to- we need to talk. All of us."

"Look, I don't want to get in the middle of anything. If you've moved on, and you wanna be with him, then that's... that's okay. It is, I can accept that." Liam sounds defeated already, and they haven't even given talking things through a shot, but he saw them. He saw the way they looked at each other. He's not going to risk ruining something like that, not when he loves them both so much. It's so much more important to him to see them being happy than to be happy himself.

"I haven't moved on" Louis' voice comes out high pitched and he focuses his gaze on Liam because he didn't mean to say this right in front of Zayn, but the truth is, he hasn't. If he ever thought he had, kissing Liam before the match showed him how far from moving on he is. It doesn't mean he doesn't want to be with Zayn, just that for some reason, in his heart both wants have been coexisting happily for quite some time. "I don't know what to do, Liam, I don't know what I want. I feel like I have to choose, and I just- I can't."

Zayn takes a step forward, his hands tucked in his pockets to keep himself from reaching out to any of them, mostly because he doesn't know who he'd reach out to first and he fears he might just try to grab them both at the same time or something equally ridiculous. He has an idea, there's something in his mind that's been growing and looking more and more plausible lately, but it sounds insane, and he doesn't want them to think he's a freak for suggesting something like that but it just feels like the right thing to do. Or at least, it feels like the thing he wants to do.

"Maybe you don't have to." Liam says sheepishly, his eyes darting back and forth between the two of them. "Choose, that is."

"Oh." Louis feels as if someone knocked all the air out of him, because he should have figured Liam wasn't going to sit around and wait for him to make up his mind. Of course he doesn't want him anymore after everything he's put him through. He wasn't much of a great boyfriend to start with anyway. "No, you're right. I mean, I don't know why I thought you'd want to-"

"No, that's not what I mean." Liam hurries in, stepping up to him and reaching out to grab his hand. "I love you, Lou. Nothing you could do could make me love you less, okay, and even after all the confusion lately, I still know that I want to be with you. But the thing is, loving you hasn't stopped me from falling for someone else. And I know it sounds completely insane, but I think that's happened to everyone in this room and maybe it means something. Maybe we don't need to choose, if we try, maybe we can- you know. Make it work."

"All of us?" Zayn asks because he's pretty sure Louis is very far from understanding what Liam's trying to vaguely get at, but his question seems to make him understand, judging from the way he gasps audibly and how his eyes shoot wide open.

"Are you really saying what I think you're saying?"

The tone of complete shock in his voice makes Liam step back, blushing terribly so.

"I'm saying I don't want you to stop kissing him, I just want you to kiss me too. And maybe- kiss him too. Myself."

Because it looks like Liam's about to shrink completely into himself and disappear, Zayn decides to be bold for once and he walks up to him, putting a hand on his shoulder. 

"Have you been talking to Harry?" He asks, because he needs to know, and when Liam shakes his head and looks at him questioningly, Zayn's heart starts beating faster than ever because it means Liam thought of this on his own. Liam himself figured this out, he decided he doesn't just want his long term boyfriend back, he wants Zayn too. He wants both of them, and he knows what Zayn thinks too, that the only reason it doesn't ever seem to work between any of them is because there's always something missing when one is left out. They need each other in every sense, and it may be a little unusual, but stranger things have happened, or at least that's what Harry said when he first presented the idea to Zayn.

"It does sound insane, but it also sounds- it sounds like it could work. If we try."

Now it's the both of them staring at Louis so hopefully that it's disarming, and he knows he'd agree to mass murder an entire town if they asked him to. Luckily though, it's something that he thinks is probably legal, and it just makes sense. As odd as it may sound, to him, it makes all of the sense in the world, and the more he looks at them, the more convinced he is there is nothing he would want more in the world but to be able to be with them without having to give up on either. 

"It's gonna be fun to explain to people." He says at last, and shrugs his shoulders. "But okay. If you two are serious about wanting a bitter dickhead around, then I'd have to be stupid to say no."

"It's going to be complicated. And messy, it's going to be very messy." Liam says, still a little hesitant because he honestly can't believe this is actually happening, but if it's going to happen then he needs to make sure they're all on the same page about it, and very aware of the risks of it.

"It's already messy, babe." Zayn laughs, squeezing his shoulder a little bit.

"And it can't be harder than having to choose which one of you I have to look at longingly from afar." Louis is being so careless about the whole thing, as if he's just agreeing to keep them happy, but they both can see the relief in his eyes, how this seems to be the missing piece of the puzzle to all of them.

"Okay, then." 

"Okay."

"Okay."

 

 

 

  
A door is slammed shut, and Liam hasn't even finished buttoning his shirt up when Louis opens the bathroom door, grinning so widely he looks like a madman. He's holding two grocery bags that clink as if they're full of bottles, and they must be because he hasn't dropped them yet as he usually does.

"I'm almost ready, I just need another second to put on my pants and we can go." Liam pushes past him and walks into his bedroom, finding Zayn laying on his bed dressed in a pair of sweatpants that he's pretty sure are his, and an old ragged t-shirt. "We have a dinner to attend to, you know. The whole being champions thing we're supposed to be celebrating with the team?" He raises an eyebrow at him as he turns to the mirror to button his shirt up, but Louis' hands are faster and he slides it off him with a smirk that tells Liam they're not going to go to any dinner.

"We are going to celebrate. But you see, babe, that's not the only thing we should be celebrating tonight." Louis wraps his arms around his waist and kisses his shoulder blade so softly that Liam can tell he's going to bite him hard way before he does, but he stays still and waits for it because he deserves it for not remembering.

"Six months, huh?" He smiles, as Louis starts pulling him backwards until his knees hit the bed and he sits down, releasing Liam and smiling brightly at him.

"A whole half year, and we're still smashin' it." Zayn laughs as he crawls over to them, leaning on Louis' shoulder and looking up at Liam. They're so proud of themselves for remembering something Liam didn't for once, wearing such smug smiles that Liam wants to kiss them both breathless. Six months, and he doesn't regret a single second of it. Sure, they've probably had as many fights as good days, but it doesn't matter because every little thing has only pushed them closer, made them braver, better. It's what they do for each other. He loves them both so much his heart feels like it might explode, and he doesn't know where to start saying all the things he wants them to know, so he just leans in and kisses Louis, climbing on the bed so he's straddling him as he puts a hand on his neck and kisses him soft and surely. He feels Zayn's hand on his back, just running his fingers over it as he waits for his turn, a mere reminder that he's there too, for whenever he wants him. And Liam wants him all the time, so the instant his lips aren't on Louis' anymore, he moves them to Zayn's, smiling into his kiss. 

Louis kisses his bare chest, nibbling on every patch of skin he can reach and making Liam shiver the harder he bites him, but that's his thing, biting and sucking to make sure they're both covered in marks by the time he's done with them. He'd stamp them all over with a sign claiming they're his property if he could, and they would let him. He moves down to Liam's nipples, circling them with his tongue and flicking it over in a way that gets Liam whimpering straight into Zayn's mouth. The sound alone is enough to get sparks shooting down Zayn's spine, and he rolls his hips forward, clashing against Louis' back. 

"We should- get over there, yeah?" Liam mumbles between kisses, standing up so that they can settle properly on the bed. He's in nothing but his boxers, and Zayn and Louis suddenly feel very much overdressed. There's a rush of clothes being tossed aside and Louis' still trying to shimmy his way out of his jeans when Liam climbs over Zayn, locking their lips together as he grinds his hips down, Zayn's hand making its way to palm his arse cheek, causing Louis to let out a whine.

"Yeah, don't mind waiting for me, that's fine." He grunts because he's needy like that, as much as he enjoys watching Liam's bottom lip being sucked on like that, and he needs to get in between them as quickly as possible. It's hard to do when Liam's all pressed up against Zayn like that, but the minute they feel the bed dipping with Louis' weight, they stop kissing and look at him. It's the most amazing feeling he's ever experienced, having those two pair of eyes on him as if they both want to devour him and don't know where to start. He's got quite a few ideas, though, so he tugs at Liam's hand to get him off Zayn, making him lie down. 

"Are you always going to boss us around?" Zayn chuckles as he rolls over so he's lying on his side, his hand lazily running up and down Liam's leg. 

"I don't boss you around." Louis frowns as he hooks his thumb on Liam's boxers, pulling them down because they may not have noticed but unlike them, he's done the job right and gotten rid of everything. Liam's cock springs up, hard and flushing pink, and Zayn takes care of getting his boxers down his legs, pressing soft kisses as he moves lower as well.

"Yeah, you do, but that's okay." Liam smiles warmly as he pulls him closer to kiss him again, softly brushing their lips together at first and then suddenly turning a lot hotter and wetter, and Louis doesn't need to look to know Zayn's probably causing this, making Liam's nails scrape his scalp desperately as he licks into his mouth. He throws a leg over his chest so he can sit on him, bending over so he doesn't have to break away from their kiss for a second.

Zayn bites at the inside of Liam's thigh, his hands firmly planted on his hips, and when he hears Liam's soft moans being swallowed down by Louis, he moves on to kissing the underside of his cock, chuckling softly when he sees Liam's fingers digging into Louis' arse. Louis sits up and has the nerve to glare at him from over his shoulder.

"See, you can't even let me suck my boyfriend's dick without supervising it." Zayn sits up and mouths his way up Louis' jaw until he's kissing him.

"Our boyfriend, you mean." Louis tries to bite back, but it's weak and he's practically whimpering since Liam's fingers are wrapped around his cock.

"Yeah, yeah. It's fine, you make a good leader." And he does, he really does, even if he's not coaching them anymore, Louis is still the one calling the shots. Even if it doesn't quite look like it right now, not with the way he's pleading on Liam's ear for a little more pressure. Zayn slides back down Liam's legs, settling between them and licking a strip across his dick before taking it into his mouth. 

He remembers the first time he sucked Liam off, kneeling with a hand against the shower wall after a pretty intense match. His dick hitting the back of his throat, Liam's fingers threading into his hair as he thrusted into his mouth. This is nothing like it, it's slower, he's not going half as deep, because it's all mere foreplay to them by now. He hears Louis moaning loudly and his own dick twitches, untouched for too long. When he looks up from under his eyelashes, he sees Louis getting off Liam's chest and sitting next to him. He licks up Liam's cock and kisses the tip of it before sitting up and wiping his mouth.

"Okay, babe?" Louis asks, patting the spot next to them, and Zayn nods.

"Okay." He settles between them, Liam instantly rolling on his side and wrapping an arm around his waist, pressing kisses all over his neck. Louis drapes a leg over his, pressing his index finger against his lip that Zayn nips at softly before taking it into his mouth and sucking on it. With an approving smile, Louis slides his fingers down his chest, over his belly button and teasingly runs it over his dick already soaked in pre cum, only to ignore it completely and keep on moving lower. When he finally reaches his hole, Zayn arches up against Liam, his cock pressing up against his arse, and Louis applies a little bit of pressure against it just to watch him squirm and gasp for air.

"Fuck, Lou, just get on with it." Zayn moans, and Louis pushes his finger inside him, two knuckles deep in one go. Liam leaves the bed for a moment, but he's back almost instantly with a bottle of lube that he uncaps and offers to Louis. He pulls his fingers out, dips them in it while Zayn rolls so that he's on back. Louis circles his hole with the tip of his finger, the cold of the lub a sharp contrast to how hot Zayn feels inside. He works both fingers inside him slowly, Zayn's entire body clenching and tightening. It takes a very deep breath to adjust, and Louis fingers him gently, completely focused in his task. Liam keeps kissing Zayn all over, his jaw, his chest, his eyes locked on his to make sure he's okay. Zayn's cock rests on his belly, so hard it's starting to hurt, but it remains untouched and it's better like this. He can handle this, they've done it enough times now that he knows the urgency and need will build up inside him for much longer than he thinks he can resist, and it only makes it all feel better, more intense.

Louis is scissoring him now, and Zayn is rolling his hips down, his fingers not nearly enough anymore. Liam reaches out over him to wrap his hand on Louis' cock, giving it a few strokes until it's stiff and ready, and then he rolls a condom over it as casually as he would on his own. Louis pulls his fingers out, and Zayn sits up and moves so he's straddling him, his hole wet and clenching, aching to be filled up again. He leans in to kiss Louis as he positions himself, the tip of his cock grazing his hole teasingly until Zayn lowers himself on it slowly until he bottoms out, his rim fighting it for a second then stretching out and taking it in, sucking it in, adjusting around it. Zayn's head drops back and he finds Liam already sitting behind him, his hands on his belly.

"You okay, babe?" Liam asks quietly, his lips pressed to his ear, and Zayn nods, biting his lip to keep himself from moaning embarrasingly loud as Louis rolls his hips and thrusts into him. 

"Yeah, y-eah, definitely okay." He manages to whimper, sliding up and down Louis' cock slowly, feeling Liam's erection between his arse cheeks as he does. There's one of Liam's fingers that's dripping wet with lube and running down his spine, and Zayn's breath gets shaky when he feels it pushing into along with Louis' cock. 

"Fuck, Zayn, you're doing so good, you look so amazing." Louis mumbles, his fingers digging into Zayn's thights in an effort to keep himself grounded, to stop his hips from rolling up and thrusting harder, deeper into him.

"Does it feel good? Is this good?" Liam keeps asking, and Zayn's reply comes in a series of little muffled noises because he's never been the type of be shamelessly loud but it's nearly impossible not to scream when Liam adds another finger inside him.

"Yes, yes, Li, I want-" He can barely gasp out a few words, but Liam gets it, and he looks down to Louis searching for confirmation.

"He's ready, yeah, he feels ready." Louis nods, softening his grip and rubbing small patterns on Zayn's skin with his thumbs to ease him as Liam pulls his fingers out and rolls a condom over his cock, slicking it up with lube. He slides it between Zayn's arse cheeks, pressing kisses to his back as he very slowly guides his cock alongside Louis'. It burns, and Zayn squeezes his eyes tightly shut, the entire world going blank for a moment as he adjusts. He feels he's being ripped apart, a sharp pang of pain blazing through him, but it quickly mixes with how hot and tight he feels around both of them, how Louis is looking up at him like he's blissed out, Liam kissing his shoulder, and the pleasure soon overcomes the pain. He takes a deep breath and nods, digging his fingers in Louis' shoulder.

"Okay, yeah- Okay." He nods more vehemently because he needs them to move, and they get the hint. Like everything they do, it's messy and rough on the edges, Liam and Louis fucking into him in perfect sync, slamming hard, each thrust bringing Zayn an inch closer to falling apart. Liam wraps a hand around his cock and wanks him off fast and hard, until he's seeing white flashes and coming hard, shooting all over Louis. He clenches hard around both of them, and it sets them off, takes them that last step, and he can feel both of them twitching and coming in him. 

They both pull out and Zayn drops himself on Louis' chest, completely ignoring how sticky he is. Liam's lying at the foot of the bed, panting heavily, and he turns to them with a grin on his face, reaching out to pat Zayn's bum which is sticking out in the air, sore, hot and wet. He feels boneless, weightless, like he might fly off if Louis takes his hand off his waist.

"Happy anniversary, lads." Liam giggles, crawling until he's next to them and draping an arm over Zayn's back. Louis links his fingers with his, and Zayn rests his forehead against his collarbone, still trying to remember how to breathe. 

"Think we can keep this up for another six months without any casualties?" Louis laughs and his chest shakes Zayn awake, making him look up at the both of them. 

"Yeah." He breathes out, exhausted but as high on life as he'll ever be. "Yeah, okay."

"Okay?" Liam laughs tiredly, cuddling closer to Louis and resting his head on his shoulder. Louis nods, and they both stare at him intensely until he huffs.

"Okay. You two are stupidly cheesy." He grunts, but he squeezes Liam's hand and drops a kiss on Zayn's forehead, because as dumb as they are, he's stupidly in love with them both.


End file.
